December 19, 2011

I could hardly believe that only five stitchers responded to the second part of the give-away! I wrote your names down in the order that you responded. The random number generator chose Jo first and Petra second. So the two of you will receive a free "Elizabeth Hancock" pattern! Email me at little houseneedleworks@msn.com for instructions to claim your win!

December 16, 2011

Hi all. . . get out your pattern and check for #75 written in by hand. If you are the owner of this pattern, email me at littlehouseneedleworks@msn.com and I'll tell you what to do to redeem your gift of chart and silks!

Now for the surprise. . . . . . this is for those of you who whose have charts without numbers. . . . . . sort of a second-chance "happy holidays" bonus! If you hold one of those patterns, simply reply to this post and identify yourself as a chart owner of an unnumbered pattern. We will be using the random number generator to select two post writers who will each receive the chart, Elizabeth Hancock. You have until Monday to reply!!

December 15, 2011

Tomorrow is the drawing for the Elizabeth Hancock reproduction pattern that will be shipped complete with silks to the lucky winner. Tune in to see if your number is drawn as you will only have until Monday to email me with your win. Also, if you have a pattern without a number we want you to tune in too for a surprise "round two" to the contest.

The supply lists for the two newest patterns are posted on our web site. The patterns took off in a UPS truck yesterday headed straight to the distributors in the US.

December 13, 2011

I love seeing my holiday decorations come out of hiding, don't you? Between autumn and winter, I really don't know which color palette is my favorite. But red is definitely one of my favorite colors!

This little ornament doll is one I made years ago. In fact I made a ton of them and gave them as neighbor gifts that year. She is made from a simple muslin body that only has arms and a head. The dress is a rectangle folded in half. The arm areas are left open then a neck hole cut in the middle. Gathers here and there and a hot glue gun and it's finished. Very simple even without a pattern.

What you see here is the bottom of my new Charlie Brown Tree (the top is in the view above). They sell them at Pottery barn (not by that name) in different sizes. I need one red ornament to make it look authentic. The cardinal moved on to another spot in the house. :)

This is a part of my Dept. 56 Nativity. I will share my favorite section closer to Christmas.

December 12, 2011

Good Tidings is the last ornament we ship in 2011. But we'll be back next year with twelve more!!!

A special "thank you" to my friend Vonna who stitched the ornaments in the 2011 collection. Somehow she was always able to read my mind when I described a finish or could catch the essence of what I wanted an ornament to "say".

December 1, 2011

The original Elizabeth Hancock Sampler was created in 1831 in England. As I have done previously, I took the original and made a new sampler, one that I think you will love, love, love! For me this totally looks like an LHN sampler which is why I like it as much as I do. Elizabeth and I must be related!

You must know that I love the color red. . . . . . I couldn't resist this color palette!

The stitching is in Belle Soie with a hand dyed cotton color conversion provided.

Stitched on 30 count Weeks Dye Works Straw linen.

The stitching, including errors have been duplicated as they were found on the original sampler. However I made this design smaller than the original and left off the bottom portion. Her name was then moved up into place to complete the design. Everything you see in the photo above, down to the star border is exactly as it appeared originally. Nothing has been moved in that upper portion but because of the changes we are calling this a reproduction/adaptation sampler.

The pattern itself includes a photo of the original and some details concerning the design. Mom stitched this for me and it now hangs in her home where she can see it every day. It looks beautiful with her English styled living room but would look great in my home too!

This design will ship mid-month along with our last ornament of the year (photo coming soon!).

November 26, 2011

Thanksgiving is not officially over until the leftovers have been eaten! That should be some time later today. :) Anyway, I decided that I needed to take down the blog header and put up something more festive. So I took a few pictures, created the banner and slipped a little something in you haven't seen before. The bottom right corner is a small view of the Elizabeth Hancock Reproduction that comes out in December! It's reds, greens, whites. . . . gorgeous colors for Christmas even though it isn't a winter design. And if you look carefully and with a magnifying glass, you'll also see an unreleased ornament in the cubby. I doubt you can make it out very well. That's the first ornament in January. I love how the ornaments display in the cubby. Many of you have written me to ask how to find it. Well, it's a Pottery Barn item and it must be a popular one because they still carry it. And now they even ship internationally so those of you who had been disappointed can now get one for yourselves!

November 23, 2011

I found beautiful glitter pumpkins at Michael's a month ago and added a berry garland and fall flowers for table decorations. The grandkids will probably start tossing the pumpkins around right away but at least for today it all looks pretty. The pies are baked, the turkey thawed (yea!), and the remainder of the food in a holding pattern until tomorrow morning.

Luke got left out of the blog photos the other day but I took one of him at 2-years and 1-day. He is Gracie's little brother but we use the term "little" lightly as he stands taller and weighs more than her. He is a love bug. . . . . .can't you see it looking at his face?

November 22, 2011

Remember the design"This is My Joy" that we showed you last week? LHN and Crescent Colours have a little surprise attached to the design. Between now and December 16th, if you are the holder of the pattern marked with the number drawn by the random number generator, you will be the recipient of my upcoming new reproduction design,Elizabeth HancockAND all of the silk to complete the sampler. On that day, Sharon will give instructions on confirming your win should you hold the pattern with the "drawn" number. If the winning pattern number has not been claimed in 48 hours or it is sitting in a shop unsold, a new number will be generated until a happy stitcher is found! Scroll down to the photo and info if you missed the blog post. Everything you need to know about the pack is there. You will need to call your local shop to place your order as Crescent Colours is a wholesale company and cannot ship direct to the consumer.

November 17, 2011

Little House and Crescent Colours have a fun little holiday surprise for you. "This Is My Joy" will be available for shipping next week. This is a small pattern packed with one skein of silk in your choice of four different color ways. You can order from one of the following silk colors: Cinnamon Stick, Icing, Collard Greens or Red Fox. The 30 count Weeks fabric suggestions (named clockwise from the upper left) would be Cocoa, Parchment, Tin Roof and 28 count Gingham Scuppernong.

Call your local shop and let them know which one to order for you and remember to order by pattern name and thread color. Note: One skein is included in the pack, not all four.

November 15, 2011

So this is the full reveal of the "New England Winter Sampler" that ships to our distributors today. Once stitched, this design is sure to become a family heirloom. You will need Weeks 30 count Cocoa linen if you want to stitch it the same as the model. And please do ooh and ahh over the frame from Valley House Primitives. It is a perfect compliment to the red in the design. I will be updating the web site this week with full supply details.

Next month we are releasing the last ornament for 2011 along with a spectacular reproduction/adaptation sampler done in reds, greens and white. My mom stitched it for me and it's beautiful. Of course I'll get a few peeks out after the first of the month. :) Mom is anxious and I don't blame her!

November 9, 2011

Winter Forest is the 11th ornament this year. I know there are a number of you that really enjoy stitching woodsy designs for the holidays so this one is for you! Vonna made it into an adorable pouch. . . . a popular finishing technique since the wool seals itself rather well. A simple blanket stitch around the design and you're done! It would finish much smaller if you excluded the wool.

This pattern and the New England Winter Sampler will be available in a few weeks from now.

October 31, 2011

I don't normally preview patterns quite so early, but because of the snow seen all over the east I decided to show a little peek of an upcoming sampler. It seems winter is here for many of you!

The design is titled very appropriately, "New England Winter Sampler". Having worked with a few antique samplers, a bit of the old way in which samplers were stitched found a way into my heart. I love the large layout and randomness of the various elements.

Like I said, this is a preview of an upcoming pattern. The design won't ship until mid November along with ornament #11.

October 27, 2011

So yes. . . I did say that 2011 was the end of the road for ornament patterns. But after listening to shop owners and stitchers who love stitching smalls, we have decided to release them for another year.

My biggest fear was that I couldn't come up with another set of twelve winter/holiday themed designs. I was wrong. The list I worked on has 16 ideas!! The first one in 2012 is titled "Blessed" and promises to be one of my favorites.

October 25, 2011

To those of us in the south, fall is not much cooler than summer. With the sun shifting to a more southern position, plants that died in the summer need to be replaced in the hope they will survive what we hope is a mild winter. Ron fell in love with these petite ornamental peppers. I love them too. Not a traditional fall plant like the mums that will be in bloom soon but that makes it nice. . . . very unusual!

I am getting ready to photograph the last pattern of the year. I have already been at work designing and stitching 2012 designs. Yes. . . .2012 if you can believe that! So much to do!!

October 18, 2011

Oh happy day! I was recently blessed with a long-overdue visit with my friend, Kim from high school. We had a wonderful time together and didn't sit still a moment she was here. Sunday our plans took us out to Old Tucson Movie Studios with the family.

Diane and Kim

Old movie set for the tv show High Chaparal

My dentist office. :)

A view of some of the new sets behind the horse and stagecoach. New building has been going on at the studio since the fire destroyed some of the best sets like those used in the series, Gunsmoke.

Gorgeous buildings with tons of southwest personality.

Thank goodness for modern washers and dryers (and clothes!).

The old train and church.

Grandchildren Sean, Jeff, Juliet and Andrew dressed in period costumes for their vintage photo shoot.

October 10, 2011

This is not your usual 12 Days of Christmas! I always try to reinvent the wheel a bit and I'm hoping you like my interpretation of this old classic. All twelve items are represented in this design. Sorting through the various birds shouldn't be too hard. The lettering will stitch fast so if you get started right away you will have this done in plenty of time for the holidays.

This design along with Snow in Love (already previewed) and Warm Winter Woolens will ship to our distributors in a few days. Come back tomorrow for the photo of the third release.

Happy Stitching (and singing now that you've read through the 12 items!),

October 7, 2011

I LOVE the annual Just Cross Stitch ornament issue. I anticipate designing for it as much as you anticipate the publication! This year's ornament is titled "Fresh Fallen Snow". It is stitched on Weeks Dye Works Cocoa with Belle Soie from Crescent Colours. Looking at it right now it reminds me of a quilt. Imagine the block repeated 3 across and three down, changing the house to red and leaving the trees green. You'd have a full sized design created with 36 individual squares!

I know there are still copies of the magazine available and it is such a bargain with so many designs to choose from! Thank you for finishing it Vonna!!

October 6, 2011

Ron and I took a nice little trip up north to Sedona, Arizona. We stayed at a place that was only a few steps away from Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village. It was amazing as were the sites in and around the city. The first photo looks like a scene from a European city.

Gracie went along and was welcomed everywhere we went. In fact because of her, we met a lot of really wonderful people along the way who stopped to pet her.

Orange is not my favorite color but up here it looks spectacular!

These are my two favorite traveling companions!

And have you ever seen such pretty peppers??

I'll end the post by sharing this sweet photo of a very young model who was posing near the fountain in Tlaquepaque. It's one of those moments that I found beautiful and engaging all at once.